


"Darling"

by halfwingangel, Lady_Kaie



Series: Chronicles of the Librarian and the Tutor: Citadel adventures in the employ of a Prince [2]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Ignis thinking out loud, She will be Darling now, Workplace Relationship, keep in touch, new feelings, silent crushes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwingangel/pseuds/halfwingangel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Kaie/pseuds/Lady_Kaie
Summary: Not many people can say they caught Ignis Scientia off guard. And then there you are, without even trying it.But what he's going to discover about you and himself is going to leave both of you quite... happy.
Relationships: Ignis Scientia/Reader
Series: Chronicles of the Librarian and the Tutor: Citadel adventures in the employ of a Prince [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848916
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	"Darling"

"Good morning, Lord Scientia," you greeted him.

"Good morning," he answered, with a polite smile and a nod, then returning to his task. Every day from the moment you were hired as tutor some weeks ago, he saw you arrive promptly at 8 am to begin the instruction of Prince Noctis. Always well dressed. Comfortable but formal pleated pants, or a semi-fitted skirt just above the knee. Perfectly matching shoes, heels mostly. Simple and tasteful blouses, never too flashy colors or too deep necklines. Just enough for him to having caught himself a couple of times shifting attention away from your face. How unseemly.

You were always well spoken and well-mannered, too, which he appreciated greatly. Ever since your first meeting, after King Regis introduced you as the new member of Noctis' entourage, he noticed the strong but pleasant character that would be perfect to handle an otherwise lazy and sometimes arrogant prince with outsiders. And he felt strangely comfortable with it.

"Go ahead, please. Noctis is waiting for you," he spoke from his desk, behind the pile of papers and folders.

You huffed a laugh through your nose and start walking towards the area that connects with the other room. "As willing as ever, I guess," you said, and he answered with a chuckle while you disappeared behind the door after giving him a lopsided smile and a raised eyebrow.

His eyes lingered on the closed door for just a couple of seconds, before suddenly snapping back to reality and continuing the overbearing amount of work that awaited him on the day. Overbearing to others, of course, but not to him. In addition to your valuable help that has ostensibly lightened his burden in the last days.

Although it wasn't easy at first. For several days, he kept wondering why the king had hired someone else to fulfill part of the tasks he already carried out. Did the king believe that he was no longer fit enough? Or that he was diverting his attention from the prince? Nonsense, his priority had always been Noctis since he was 6 years old and that hadn't and would never change. However, there you were with your impressive curriculum, Political Science Major and Psychology minor, your multiple participations in projects that mainly involved the most vulnerable communities in Insomnia, your diligence and effectiveness... and your kind smile.

At some point he thought of asking the king himself if he believed his work to be of no value anymore, but that would’ve been rude and he hoped that if that had been the case he would’ve had King Regis's sincerity. So, he just kept telling you the ins and outs of your job, giving you instructions that could make things easier for you, and increasingly noticing the reasons why the king had chosen you.

He soon understood that the king never intended to replace him. The help was not just for Noctis but for him and although he never spoke it out loud, then he appreciated his thoughtfulness.

The Founder King's Day festivities were approaching and the amount of detail that should be covered was massive. The events, the invitations, the road closures and the safety of the population consumed all his time these days, but he was calm knowing that Noctis continued with his preparation in your hands.

The morning continued advancing while behind the closed door he listened muffled your voice and that of Noctis, during the reviews for his college studies, his assignments and the necessary knowledge for one day to become the great dignitary he should be as king.

For a moment the tone of your voice was heard slightly higher than normal and he knew that Noctis had had one of his Prince MomentsTM. Some eyes roll, some annoyed sigh or some gesture of irritation resting his cheek on his hand that were usually enough for you to firmly remind him that this was his duty and that there was no escape. Hearing that, he smiled without noticing it as he reviewed one of the applications for the festival. Curious, now he found himself doing that in your presence more than once.

Sometimes he felt guilty for not being able to save his prince and dear friend from the scolding tornado that was unleashed on him, sometimes so frequently, but that guilt quickly turned into satisfaction when he saw the response it generated.

Then he realized that maybe he was too soft, although there were certainly things that he got the prince to do that you didn't, but the synergy that the two of you had created was undoubtedly impressive and he was pleased with that more and more every day.

The voices inside the other room died down and the silence returned to the place giving way to a new wave of concentration in the set out of the festival. His attention turned to the preparation of the security rings and the distribution of the glaives throughout the streets to avoid unpleasant surprises. Drills, meetings, and shift doubling would take place over the next week to ensure complete safety and it had to be handled with care.

Suddenly, the door to the other room opened and you came out, Noctis following you to sit down later in one of the big armchairs with the cell phone that you’d probably just returned to him. The hours had passed, it seemed, and Ignis hadn't noticed it among the dozens of forms and contingency plans. As he carefully read the squad line-up, you and Noctis talked about something he didn't pay much attention to.

“... so, Lord Scientia, this afternoon's meeting should be moved,” the mention of his name momentarily attracted his attention from the formation of the glaives. He needed to meet with the Marshal and Captain Drautos to discuss some details that concerned him.

“It’s fine, darling,” the words automatically slipped from his mouth without lifting his eyes from the folder and he halted in his reading of the report, too late to stop them. Without fully understanding where that came from, in a second, he ran through all the possible explanations he could give you in the face of such an improper comment, but nothing worthwhile came to his troubled mind.

Motionless, frozen, the papers in his hand seemed to crumple slightly under the tension. His green eyes widened behind his glasses and noticing the silence that settled in the room, he slowly raised his gaze to you. “I-I’m terribly sorry,” he never had stuttered. Never before had he suffered such betrayal of his brain.

Pushing your own black framed glasses up the bridge of your nose, a light flush coloring your cheeks, a small gesture to placate his nerves rises naturally out of you. "It's fine. I've been called worse." There’s a small smile of pleasure that curls your lips. Ignis Scientia called you Darling. That was something you were going to hold onto for a while.

Blinking in confusion for one second at your acceptance of his indecorous behavior, he cleared his throat right after and swallowed as he shifted in his chair. Not once has he been caught off guard like this and certainly, he would be more careful from now on. Although he had to admit that your eased reaction pleased him beyond belief.

Regaining a more relaxed features despite his furiously colored cheeks, he gave you a small nod. “I’ll see you at lunch then,” and he felt how the most imperceptible of the smiles contorted the muscles of his face.

You nodded kindly and turned to walk out of the room, your familiar figure disappearing now behind the door. The smile remained on his face as his eyes fell on the wooden desk, flying in a cloud of confusion and contentment that took him away of his concerns for some joyful minutes with a strange, unfamiliar but not unwelcome sensation in his stomach.

“I knew it,” the voice of the prince from the armchair drew him back to this world to earn a frown at his best shit-eating smirk.

Returning then to the papers, he adjusted his glasses and set ready to continue with the task he had left half-done. There was work to be completed, although he was at great risk now of letting his mind wandering more often about you.

Immensely grateful was he now for the thoughtfulness of the king.

What a wonderful job he had been given.


End file.
